


All the way back where I belong

by fallingintodivinity



Category: Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance, Spoilers for Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 12:11:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15581709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingintodivinity/pseuds/fallingintodivinity
Summary: Four days after he wakes up in the medical camp in Kashmir with three cracked ribs, a mild concussion, a sprained ankle and an impressive array of cuts and bruises, Ethan insists on taking the long flight back home.[A coda toMission: Impossible - Fallout]





	All the way back where I belong

 

Four days after he wakes up in the medical camp in Kashmir with three cracked ribs, a mild concussion, a sprained ankle and an impressive array of cuts and bruises, Ethan insists on taking the long flight back home.

Luther and Ilsa volunteer Benji to accompany Ethan home, because they are horrible traitors and Benji is absolutely going to remember this and perhaps sabotage some of their non-mission-critical gear at a non-mission-critical moment.

Julia and Patrick clear Ethan for air travel, which Benji didn’t even expect would happen: Ethan may pull all kinds of superhuman stunts on missions but Benji’s longstanding and mildly pathetic crush on the man aside, he’s well aware that Ethan is still human and there’s no way his body has healed enough in four days for him to travel comfortably.

Benji’s suspicions are confirmed when Julia pulls him aside in between all the running around and packing up of the camp that she’s doing. She presses a bag of pain pills into his hand, explaining that while she would’ve been more comfortable waiting a couple of days before letting Ethan travel, he’d insisted on going now (and isn’t that bloody typical of him, really) – and so, since there really wasn’t anything else she and Patrick could do for him other than to instruct him to rest and let his body heal, she’d agreed to let him take his flight on the condition that he’s careful and gets as much rest as possible once he’s home.

“Take good care of him, won’t you, Benji?” she says, then smiles softly and presses a kiss to Benji’s cheek. “And take care of yourself, too. It was good seeing all of you again.”

 

***

 

Ethan is not an easy patient. Actually, scratch that, he’s a _really difficult_ patient. Once they reach the airport, he scoffs at Benji’s suggestion of getting him into a wheelchair and makes a valiant attempt to walk all the way to their gate. By the time they’re halfway there he’s gritting his teeth and trying to pretend like he’s not in danger of passing out from the pain, but Benji hasn’t spent years by Ethan’s side without learning every single one of his tells, so he sits Ethan down, forces him to take a couple of pain pills and gets an airport staff member to get them a wheelchair.

He wheels Ethan to the gate himself, and as they’re waiting there to board the plane, one of Benji’s hands resting on Ethan’s broad shoulder, Ethan sighs softly and leans into his touch ever-so-slightly and Benji’s gut-punched by a wave of affection for this brilliant, brave man, who’s given every single bit of himself time and again to save people he’ll never know, who’s stared into the face of the worst of humanity without losing any of his own. Who’s sacrificed so much of his own happiness to keep the people he loves safe, and would do it again a hundred times over with no regrets for any member of his team.

Like Benji would do for Ethan, if it ever came to that.

The boarding announcement startles him out of his thoughts, and since Ethan’s in a wheelchair they’re the first to board. They’d sprung for business class seats so that Ethan can lie down; Ethan had protested the indulgence at first but had been soundly overridden by Julia and the entire team, so he’d given in and Benji had bought the tickets.

Benji gets Ethan settled in his seat then takes the seat next to him and stretches his legs out. As the air hostess comes around with drinks, Ethan smiles at her and helps himself to a glass of champagne, then turns to gape in injured outrage as Benji plucks the glass out of his hand, switching it with a glass of water from the air hostess’s tray.

“You’re on painkillers. No alcohol,” Benji tells him smugly, and sips at his stolen champagne.

Ethan pouts all the way through takeoff, which Benji _really_ shouldn’t find adorable, what is even wrong with him. He schools his face into neutrality, because if Ethan so much as smells a hint of weakness, he’ll pounce and then Benji will have to spend the rest of the flight wrestling glasses of champagne away from Ethan. Benji’s eyes glaze over at the thought of wrestling with Ethan. Preferably with fewer clothes on. And – right, he needs to stop fantasizing about Ethan naked, or this is going to be a pretty uncomfortable flight.

The next time he looks over at Ethan, his friend has put the seat back and is fast asleep. He looks younger when he’s sleeping, all the worry that he habitually carries around with him soothed out of his features. Benji spends the next couple of hours watching Ethan sleep, and that’s…not creepy at all. Really. He’s just concerned for his friend’s health, is all.

 

***

 

Benji must’ve fallen asleep at some point, because when he opens his eyes the cabin lights have been dimmed and the cup of coffee he was drinking has been cleared away. He’s lying on his side facing Ethan, who’s awake and watching him, eyes gentle and a small smile on his lips. It feels weirdly intimate, as if in the darkness of the cabin, it’s just the two of them, the rest of the world fading away, unimportant.

“Good morning,” Ethan says.

“Is it morning?” asks Benji. He wonders what time it is. “How’re you feeling?”

“Good,” says Ethan. He shifts a little, winces when his ribs presumably twinge, but his smile is warm, a private smile just for the two of them. “I’m good.”

And Benji knows, somehow, that Ethan’s not just talking about his injuries. He must make some kind of sound, a query, because Ethan continues speaking.

“Seeing Julia again – it…it was good, knowing that she’s happy. That I didn’t – it sounds melodramatic, but – knowing that I didn’t ruin her whole life…” He laughs softly, self-deprecating. “I think that was something I needed, to know that for sure. It made me feel like maybe it’s okay for me to move on too, to try to be with the person I’ve…wanted to be with for a long time, if he’ll have me.”

Benji half-sits up, a wordless protest on his lips – there’s so much wrong with that thought, that _Ethan_ , who has given up the most of all of them, would feel like he doesn’t _deserve_ to be happy – before he registers the rest of Ethan’s sentence: _‘he’_? Who’s _‘he’_? Benji will kill the guy. But. But only in his head, of course, because Ethan should be happy, and if this guy makes Ethan happy, then Benji will deal with it –

Then Ethan’s pushing himself upright, wincing in pain and Benji automatically reaches out to steady him, and then he stops thinking entirely because Ethan’s leaning over the armrest between them and _kissing Benji_ , his lips soft and warm and stubble scraping over Benji’s jaw and oh god he tastes good. Benji’s instantly addicted, parting his lips for Ethan, reaching over the armrest to grip the other man's arm, trying to pull him closer.

Ethan makes a pained noise, and Benji jumps like he’s been burned, releasing his grip on his friend. Ethan draws back with a rueful look on his handsome face. “Sorry,” he says, looking abashed. “Ribs.”

Benji scowls at him. “Told you not to fly yet, but did you listen to me, no you didn’t and that’s why y– ”

Ethan kisses him again, gentle and warm, and when they part, they’re both smiling.

“Thanks,” Ethan whispers against Benji’s lips, “for worrying about me.” His expression turns a little sheepish. “I’m afraid any…other activities are going to have to wait a few more days though, until my ribs heal up.”

Benji laughs, joy sparking hot and effervescent in his chest, leaving him lightheaded. “I’ve been waiting for you for years,” he says. “What’s a few more days?”

 

End.

 


End file.
